The present application generally relates to innovations and improvements in the components used in vehicular systems, such as suspension and axle systems/subsystems. More particularly, the present application relates to a rotatable bar pin bushing assembly for vehicular systems (e.g., suspensions), such as for use in vocational or heavy haul truck applications.
Bar pin bushing assemblies for use in vehicular systems, such as suspensions, are known. Such assemblies are commonly used to connect different components of a vehicular system, such as beams, brackets, arms, clamps, frames, rails, rods, and other like components. In connecting these various components together, often times the holes or bores of one component, such as a bar pin bushing assembly, must be aligned or registered with the connector(s) (e.g., slots, adapters, holes/bores, etc.) of another component, such as a beam or a bracket. Indexing these components to align or register them can be difficult, especially if the components that need to be connected are already connected to other components in the system.
Existing bar pin bushing assemblies consist of a bar pin fixedly positioned and non-rotatable within one or more outer bushing components. As an example of such an existing assembly, a non-rotatable bar bin is fixedly positioned within a rubber sleeve that is in turn fixedly positioned within a metal sleeve. As yet another example, a non-rotatable bar pin is fixedly positioned directly within a metal sleeve by the use of a bonding agent, adhesive, resin, or epoxy. In both of these prior art designs, the bar pin is fixedly positioned and non-rotatable within the surrounding bushing components. As a result, when such a bar pin is non-rotatably fitted to one component (e.g., a walking beam), it is difficult, if not impossible, to index the non-rotatable bar pin to register/align the holes/bores of the bar pin with the connector(s) (e.g., slots, adapters, holes/bores, etc.) of another component (e.g., an axle bracket).
In view of the conditions identified above with respect to prior bar pin bushing assemblies for vehicular systems, such as suspensions and axle systems/subsystems, it is desired to provide a new and improved bar pin bushing assembly for such systems. In particular, it is desirable to have a bar pin bushing assembly that allows for the bar pin to be freely rotated and easily indexed (e.g., by hand) during installation so that the holes/bores of the bar pin may be registered/aligned to the connector(s) (e.g., slots, adapters, holes/bores, etc.) of another component in the system.